The present invention relates generally to a shoe remover, and particularly to a shoe remover which can be folded in a compact form when the shoe remover is stored or carried and which can be unfolded easily when making use of the same.
In general, a shoe remover of this type comprises a treading plate on which a wearer places one of his feet to keep the shoe remover in position by his weight, and a shoe-removing plate which holds the shoe covering the other foot in firm engagement while the foot is being twisted and pulled upward from the shoe to be taken off. Then, the positions of the feet are changed with each other on the plates and the same procedure is repeated to take the other shoe off.
Boots and high boots may fit the wearer's feet and legs so tightly that he may find it difficult to take them off without using the shoe remover. If one, therefore, uses the shoe remover to take his boots off, one must stand up with only one leg and so if the boots are high-heeled, he may easily lose his equilibrium and fall down. Therefore, the requirements for a convenient shoe remover are that it have a level and stable treading plate on which the wearer can safely place one of his feet, that it be applicable to both low-heeled and high-heeled shoes and boots, and that it be of simple construction that permits easy handling.
In this connection, FIG. 1 shows a conventional shoe remover wherein a treading section 1 and a shoe-removing section 2 are formed integrally as a plane board to which is attached a crosstie 3 for keeping the shoe-removing section 2 slightly distant from the floor. The shoe-removing section 2 has a notch 2a by which the heel 4 of a shoe is held when the foot is being pulled out. This type of shoe remover determines, however, the heel holding height by slanting the plane board. And the plane board can not be slanted at a very large angle without putting the wearer in an unstable posture while he is taking the shoes off. Consequently, the shoe remover of the conventional type can only be applied to low-heeled shoes. In addition, because the shoe remover is made of a one-piece plane board which is of relatively large size, it requires a large space not only for storage but also is awkward to hand carry.